Arkansas basketball blown out by Tennessee in another home embarrassment
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Home blowouts have become all-too common for the Arkansas basketball team this season, and the Razorbacks suffered another lopsided defeat Wednesday night.
No. 8 Tennessee (18-6, 8-3 SEC) came into Bud Walton Arena and spoiled Valentine's Day for a sparse crowd, blitzing the Hogs (12-12, 3-8) in the second half and running away with a 92-63 victory. The 29-point margin of victory represented Tennessee's largest win in series history.
Arkansas scored just 13 points across the first 10 minutes of the second half, as the Volunteers extended their lead from 46-40 to 75-53. Prior to Wednesday, Tennessee had lost in its past seven trips to Fayetteville, with the last win coming in 2009.
Here are three observations from the Arkansas loss.
Extra possessions doom Arkansas basketball
The Hogs were decent on offense Wednesday night when they got shots toward the rim. Unfortunately, Arkansas committed 15 turnovers and gave up eight offensive rebounds. Those two categories led to 12 second-chance points and 28 points off turnovers for Tennessee.
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Those extra possessions typically led to easy baskets for the Volunteers, who outscored Arkansas 48-22 in the paint.
Hot start fades from three-point land
Arkansas hadn't made more than seven three-point shots in any SEC game this season before going 8-for-23 Wednesday night against the Volunteers.
But it was a tale of two halves for the Hogs three-point shooting. Arkansas made six shots from long range in the first half, meaning the Razorbacks went 2-for-10 in the second half.
Arkansas still got plenty of open looks in the final 20 minutes, but the shots stopped falling. Tramon Mark scored a team-high 12 points for the Hogs, while Davonte Davis, Jalen Graham and Khalif Battle all chipped in eight.
Dalton Knecht lives up to the hype
Knecht has been torching SEC defenses all season, entering Wednesday averaging 20.3 points per game, and Arkansas had no answer for the gifted senior transfer out of Northern Colorado. Davonte Davis and Tramon Mark both took turns trying to guard the 6-foot-6 guard, but neither could hold up for long stretches.
Knecht scored at all three levels and poured in 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting. His mix of elite athleticism and efficient shooting make him a matchup nightmare, and Knecht got to the free throw line at will, going 7-for-10 from the stripe.
But Knecht had a pair of sidekicks Wednesday night. Jordan Gainey scored 17 points, and Jonas Aidoo produced a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball blown out by Tennessee in another home embarrassment
